The 9th Farabi International Award Closing Ceremony in Details

| Post date: 2018/01/14 |

The 9th Farabi International Award closing ceremony was held on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 with the presence of the President, the Minister of Science, heads of universities and institutes of higher education, professors and scholars of the humanities and Islamic sciences in the International Conference Center.

According to the Directorate for Advertising and Information of the 9th Farabi International Award, the President emphasized the importance of the humanities status. President Rouhani described development possible through progress in the humanities and Islamic sciences and stressed: “A kind of science leads us to development if it considers Islamic sciences and humanities as its role model”.

President Hassan Rouhani appeared at the closing ceremony of the 9thFarabi International Award on Sunday in Tehran and said: “Differences in opinions and the way we think must be recognized”.

“Let us respect diversity and disagreements,” said Rouhani adding: “Pressure and mechanical unity is dangerous for a society’s integrity”

Expressing happiness over attending the event and meeting with intellectuals of the humanities and Islamic Sciences, he added: “I am delighted that the time that the humanities and Islamic sciences were influenced by experimental and technical sciences is over”.

“Development is not possible without progress in the humanities and Islamic sciences,” said the President, continuing: “Proper governance leads the society in the right direction”.

Stating that “if the humanities is not the pioneer of society and industry, industry will turn into counter-society” he also went on to say: “Fascists also apparently use knowledge, like those who use nuclear knowledge to destroy societies and humanity”.

“A clear example of this is the nuclear industry, which can be used in the interest of society in many sciences and techniques, but incorrect and false use of it can destroy society and humanity,” he said.

Dr Rouhani continued: “The fact that the Supreme Leader has prohibited the production and use of weapons of mass destruction means that religion, reason, and ethics should precede knowledge”.

He also said: “A science leads us to development if it considers Islamic sciences and humanities as its role model”.

Saying that the humanities must guide the society, rather than we guide the humanities, President Rouhani added: “The humanities grow in a free society and in the context of criticism and debate”.

“In these couple of weeks, Americans have failed in two issues. One of them is where they wanted to stand against the world’s public opinion and undermine international obligations,” he continued.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also said: “Commitments in domestic and international stages are of a moral nature, or the law and the proper interface of the humanities; the Americans’ attempt to breach these obligations failed. The world stood against the United States. In the last few days, they wanted to violate the international commitments they made in the JCPOA, but you saw the line against it. All countries in the world, apart from one or two countries and a hateful regime, were all integrated against them”.

If a commitment fails, we must mourn for civilisation in society and the world, said Rouhani, adding: “As science and industry advances, if we do not respect international regulations and religious and cross-religious values, if a government violates the obligations of the previous government, it loses credibility”.

“Failing to violate the obligations and resolutions of the United Nations by the White House is a victory for morality and law,” he said, adding that the achievements of the JCPOA can never be vanished by anybody.

The President also stressed that we proved that Iran is truthful and its enemies are liars, saying: “Since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), oil revenues have doubled and hundreds of foreign investments have been made in Iran”.

“The fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announces the closure of the PMD case as a complicated technical and international case, means that Iran has been truthful and the enemies have lied and this victory is everlasting,” he added.

Dr Rouhani also went on to say: “The world and the UN acknowledged Iran’s right to nuclear research and development; the science of law and politics were leading this success”.

“It’s been at least one year since Trump has been trying to kill JCPOA; this means the victory of law over dictatorship,” he continued saying.

The second failure of the Americans was when they interfered in Iran’s internal affairs, said Rouhani adding: “Some people took to the streets and protested rightfully or unrightfully, but I urge everybody to respect all people and if there are people who have been incited and misused these protests with intentions of spying be proved at the court”.

One must be more considered when speaking behind holy podiums, the President said, adding: “We must not insult the society. Some took to the street and protested and some misused these protests but we must not hit them all with the same stick, but we must speak more precisely”.

Stating that finding the origins of protest and its solution are the responsibility of the scholars of the humanities, Rouhani said: “The humanities and the social sciences are the compass for the society; the north and south cannot be changed by slogans”.

Culture is the foundation of all humanities, said the President, adding: “The relationship between doctor and patient is more healing than surgery”.

If we are to have administrative and management reform, it is the work of the humanities, the President continued, and saying: “If you want cyberspace to be useful to the community, come forward with a solution to promote the culture using it instead of blocking it “.

“Iran and our people are great and high-principled; the mission of the humanities and Islamic sciences is to guide the society towards prosperity,” he said.

Dr. Hassan Rouhani commended some of the Award’s winners by presenting the President’s Plaque of honor and special gifts before giving his speeches. After this section, the Minister of Science appreciated the other winners. The full list of the Award’s winners, rank and the selected work can be found here.

Dr. Mansoor Gholami, the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, said in his speech before the President speech: “The formation and strengthening of the humanities elite network is beneficial not only for expanding domestic scientific interactions and scientific communication with abroad, but also in the fulfillment of another important dream is effective, which is the creation and growth of an atmosphere of hope, combined with scientific excellence in society.

He emphasized that such a space would allow for serious and qualitative scientific and research activity in universities, and of course its indirect implications could be lead to the emergence of a constructive dialogue between the administrators and society through mediation of the university.

At the ceremony, attended by Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani and a number of prominent figures of humanities and social sciences, the Minister of Science adding: “We are proud that the 9th Farabi International Award with the presence of top professors of the country and national and international outstanding scholars while being held the seedlings planted yesterday to improve the humanities of the country, today, has become a fruitful tree.

He added: “This yearly academic event holds true the name of al-Farabi, one of the greatest thinkers of Iran, who sought to present a picture of human life and wanted and sought it in a wisdom community.

Gholami expressed his satisfaction in another part of his speech; during these years, the Award has largely achieved goals such as identifying and introducing superior talent of humanities and Islamic sciences, introducing the top works in this field, and encouraging researchers to apply humanities through the examination of the issues and needs of the Iranian community.

He noted that the prominent professors of the humanities in the country have consistently advocated managers and policy makers with appreciation and encouragement of superior talents by supporting this gathering and have emphasized this in different periods.

The Minister of Science explained the effective and important role of the humanities in the process of national planning and policy making in different areas and the creation of a suitable atmosphere for active participation of the humanities and social sciences of Iran at the global level as two important goals of the Farabi International Award and said: It has been well deserved, and the continuity and increasing efforts of my colleagues in the universities and the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology have helped to achieve these two more important goals.

He added that such an approach could create a comparative and competitive atmosphere in the scientific community of Iran, reducing some of the concerns and problems that exist, especially in “the area of ​​effectiveness and observance of research ethics”. Of course, fulfilling this important thing is not possible without continuous cooperation with other institutions and devices.

The Minister of Science emphasized the use of the capacity of the academic community and said: ” It is necessary that the secretariat of the Farabi International Award will pay attention to this matter with the help of scientific and accredited associations for the following Awards.

According to Dr. Gholami, the result of the planning and effectiveness of the activities of institutions such as the Secretariat of the Farabi International Awad will become more apparent when it focuses on the relationship between the various generations of the humanities in Iran and, on the other hand, the humanities and Islamic sciences interaction of the country with international scientific communities.

He went on to state that the necessity of the relationship between successive generations of the humanities in Iran is as important as the feeling and necessity of communication with the scientific and accredited institutions outside the country, he stressed: the attempt to establish elite circles and the elite network of humanities that in the previous Awards is taken seriously and consists of prominent scholars and professors from different periods of time, can be meaningful in this context and has a double significance.

At the end of his speech, Gholami thanked to all the university professors, the national winners of this period of Award, foreign scholars, the secretaries of the 9th Farabi International Award, and in particular the President and his delegation, adding: “Active participation in this ceremony is undoubtedly an encouragement for your servants at the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology to further enhance and improve the status of science in the country with more motivation and power.

In the beginning of the ceremony, the secretary of the 9th Farabi International Award, pointing out that humanities is a critical and socially accountable politician, said: There are some voices in the humanities that need to be heard, but unfortunately, in many cases this happens less, so our social capital has faced some challenges in this field.

Dr. Hossein Mirzaii said: “The humanities is a policymaker which, along with the technical and skillful sciences, have their originality, and its social responsibility is prior to commercialization, and this effective presence and responsibility can open up the corpses.

The head of the Institute for Social and Cultural Studies, saying that the humanities and Islamic sciences inevitably criticize, added: “The humanities are the most important critic servant, because they are preventative and require “an Ounce of prevention better than a pound of cure”.

He called on the President to consider the continued preservation of the status of the winners through institutional and organized continuity, the emphasis on academic autonomy and freedom, and the independence of the science institution for the effectiveness and necessity of avoiding quantitative approach and supporting qualitative approach in the humanities are of to be considered.

Dr. Mirzai added: “The need for attention to prevent brain waste along with brain drain, trust in young people and women in building managerial and scientific affairs, and the transfer of most affairs to them, the most internationalization of the space of education and research in universities, and the need for non-governmental research centers, the requirement for executive agencies to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the humanities scholars and winners of the country especially in policy making and the need for scientific discussion in the country and government support of this space are among the views and concerns of the winners of Farabi International Award, which due to lack of time these views couldn’t be provided directly, so they are presented in the form of a book as a speech to the President.

He argued with a report on the status of the works of the 9th Farabi Award: the 42 winners were honored in this Award, 14 in the adult section, 14 in the young section and 6 in the foreign section. Also in the ceremony, 2 as the pioneer in humanities, 2 as the pioneer scholars (deceased), 1 top scientific association, 1 top scholarly journal, 1 top translator and 1 top theorist.

The Farabi International Award is annually with the aim of developing and promoting favorable conditions, the emphasis on the necessity of producing humanities and human knowledge in accordance with the needs of the leading Islamic society and creating the motivational and supportive capacities of research and innovation.

Establishing the production of knowledge in the humanities and Islamic sciences, creating a positive attitude toward the humanities and the necessities of its use in explaining human phenomena, introducing the role of the humanities in the development of human knowledge, community management and making civilization in the past and now, the opportunity to comment, critique, strengthen and the development of the idea reload of the humanities in Iran and the Islamic world, the representation of the scientific potential of Iran and the Islamic society in the field of the humanities and Islamic sciences and helping to explain the importance, function and effective role of the humanities in the national and international planning and policy process, are of the macro and long-term goals of the Award.

The micro and short-term goals of the Award include the development of appropriate conditions for encouraging young talents to study and research in the field of human and Islamic sciences, helping to apply the humanities through identifying the most important issues in the range of Iranian society and the Islamic world, and identifying and introducing the superior talents of the humanities and Islamic sciences to benefit from their potential in the process of developing the boundaries of knowledge.